Loren RhoadsCritiques

Wily Writers Presents Tales of Nightmares, edited by Loren Rhoads, is a nice collection of short stories that disturbs and, like the best horror, gives you something to consider about the world we inhabit.

Like any collection there are stories I liked more than others, but there were none here I absolutely did not like. A couple of the ones that I initially liked less actually became good stories to think about. Let me explain. If I am bothered by a story but don't think it was poorly written (which none of these are) then I try to think more specifically about what I didn't like. Which can lead me to thinking about whether I believe the writer was being gratuitous or trying to make a statement. Claiming gratuitous is the easy way out, it means one can stop considering. I found the ones I liked less to be making statements, albeit not as blatantly as I think would have been more effective.

If you like well-written horror in small doses this collection should make you happy. Ideal for those times when you don't want to dive into a longer work you're reading but have time for a quick trip into another reality.

Reviewed from a copy made available by the publisher via NetGalley.

#1, Loren Rhoads was born in my hometown of Flint, Michigan. Gotta support another Michigander. #2, I couldn’t resist that cover.

Right out of the gate, I felt a kinship to Loren Rhoads. I was born and raised in Flint, Michigan, and this was like going home. I went to Mott Community College. I know Dort Highway very well, because I worked at the AC Plant, after being laid off from the Chevrolet Plant downtown Flint. I do love a walk down memory lane.

Loren Rhoads found inspiration from her personal experiences…you never know where it will come from. We need to be open to all our experiences.

HOLD ON TIGHT!f These essays are dark and gritty, filled with truth. Loren lays herself bare. This Morbid Life is an apt title for the book and is not for the feint of heart. She lets it all hang out and I loved every minute of it.

I voluntarily reviewed a free copy of This Morbid Life by Loren Rhoads.

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Unlike the previous book read about cemeteries, which was a very readable yet scholarly exploration written by an archaeologist and a anthropologist*, this book is more or less a guide in what is called ‘cemetery tourism.’ As noted in the title it features 199 cemeteries, old and new, half of which are in the United States. Most entries are 500 - 800 words long and nearly all have a accompanying photograph. The book begins in the states and in the northeastern region, and moves across the country featuring fifteen to twenty-five cemeteries in each region. It then moves on for the last half of the book for a broader look at cemeteries throughout the world.

I wasn’t sure I was going to like this book. It seemed so light after my previous read. I love exploring old cemeteries here New England but would I like browsing old cemeteries where I don’t have an ancestral connection? Turns out, yes. The collection features interesting cemeteries from ancient burial grounds to modern memorials. Cemeteries created around common cultures, war, plague, religion or ones that feature notable artistry. Some of the cemeteries that really moved me, considering our current times, were those of plague victims whether that be the Black Death, Leprosy or Aids. Also, very sobering are those cemeteries and memorials built around war. But I also very enjoyed observing how different religious groups have chosen to bury and commemorate their dead.

199 Cemeteries to See Before You Die is not necessarily meant to be read cover to cover. It can be enjoyed anyway you please. It would make a nice gift for some, or could be a nice coffee table, bathroom or bedside book in your home :-)

* The [Archaeology of American Cemeteries and Gravemarkers] by [[Sherene Baugher]] and Richard F.Viet

[Disclaimer: I received a copy of this book from the publisher via Edelweiss in exchange for an honest review.]

The blurb had me expecting a fun and engaging science fiction action story, but I don't think that's what I got in reading this. Yes, there's a little action and the world is science fiction, but this came out as more of an oddly-formed romance novel with a fair amount of sex and some situations that were just plain awkward or uncomfortable to read. I definitely see how some people might enjoy this, especially if they know what to expect, but this missed the mark for me and didn't deliver.

A pleasant enough book on a somewhat morbid subject of final resting places. The book is nicely "laid out" with many colorful pictures and a detailed description of each site along with some of the notables interred there.

Book received through Goodreads Giveaways.

I have to admit most trips I take end up at a cemetery at some point. I usually go to pay my respects to authors and musicians that I enjoy but occasionally I also visit because some of the Victorian era ones are gorgeous. This book was perfect for me, while I have been to a few of the cemeteries mentioned there were many others I have added to the places I have wanted to visit. I definitely recommend this book if you're wanting a slightly different travel experience.

It’s tough to be a human in space. Other races look down on humans because they think of them as violent sociopaths. With the human empire disbanded, they are spread out across the galaxy trying to make a living. This brings us to former assassin Raena who is trying to get a new start on board the alien space ship,the Veracity. Raena has a complicated past, she was a prisoner as the Templars were wiped out by a genetic plague and the situation has created some bad psychological effects.

Raena is having nightmares of shooting her ex-lover in the head and she has to deal with the fact that the now extinct Templars have left booby-trapped biotechnology throughout the galaxy and her ship is infected. Raena and the pirate crew that she is with must learn to trust each other and figure out how to fix the booby-trapped technology or the galactic economy could collapse.

Kill By Numbers by Loren Rhoads is the second book in the wake of the Templars series and could be best described as a character driven action adventure story. This book starts off slow and gets deep into the character’s personalities before getting into the story. The thing I really enjoy about Loren Rhoads writing is that she creates characters that seem real and gives a lot of detail on them. To me the sign of a great character in a book is if you want to read about them even if there is no conflict with them. I love good character development in a story before we get into the action and Kill By Numbers does an excellent job of it.

I love the concept behind this book, Raena is a human on a ship of aliens so Raena doesn’t fit in. Raena is trying to start a new life and escape her past, the crew of the Veracity is trying to help but what they want for her and what she wants for herself are two different things. Everyone on the ship is a different kind of alien but because of her past, Raena is the oddest one. I liked the idea that everyone on the ship was so different making it like a melting pot of races.

Another interesting aspect of this book is how the media is portrayed in this futuristic setting. The crew of the ship gathers at the same time every day to see the news and then talk about the new scandals across the galaxy. The media are a lot like how it is in the present and everything that goes on in the news is seen as truth even if there are no facts to back it up. The media are a small part of the story but I liked how even in the future people are addicted to getting information about other political systems and alien races. The best part of the book is the relationship between Raena and Gavin. Gavin wants to help Raena with her new life but seems to hurt her as he tries to help. Kill By Numbers is like an action packed soap opera in space and the kind of book that hard-core Science Fiction fans will love.

My original The Dangerous Type audiobook review and many others can be found at Audiobook Reviewer.

The Dangerous Type by Loren Rhoads is the first in a series called In the Wake of the Templars. This novel is set 20 years after a war that wiped out most of humanity. Raena is a wanted criminal and has been kept captive in the magical tomb world of now extinct beings called Templars. She is finally found by Gaven, a man who has been searching for Raena from the time she was imprisoned. Now she is on the run from Thallian, her previous employer and abuser. But Raena is sick of running and instead plots her vengeance against Thallian, who is now a criminal in hiding.

I really liked the premise of this novel, but I didn’t feel like it followed through on its promise. It’s really a novel detailing how someone pursued revenge on their abuser. I did not like Raena’s character and because she’s the main character, it made it hard to appreciate the rest of the novel. While it’s made clear how the circumstances of her life lead her to become closed off, enigmatic, and vicious, I did not understand why she was put on a pedestal by the rest of the characters in this novel. Nothing in her personality made her seem endearing to me other than the fact that she was considered to be beautiful. And that wasn’t enough for me. I felt that the other characters of the novel built up the novel more than Raena in terms of information and emotion while Raena’s actions drove the major plot developments. But overall the plot of the story was good even though it occasionally stagnated. Thallian was a brutal villain and was done well, as were his different sons. The set up and the end of the novel were both good.

The narration by Liv Anderson was okay. She didn’t leave enough space between two different characters’ first person perspectives, which made listening confusing. The production quality was good. I would recommend this novel to someone who likes revenge stories set in space.

Audiobook provided for review by the author.½

As Above, So Below by Loren Rhoads and Brian Thomas is not your average boy meets girl love story. This story is more of an angel meets succubus, they fall in love and both have agendas type story. It all started when the succubus Lorelei goes into a night club in Los Angeles and sees the angel Azaziel. Azaziel has been cast out of heaven and Lorelei has the task of getting Azaziel to become one of Hell’s minions. Lorelei thinks its going to be easy to turn the angel, little does she know that Azaziel has an agenda of his own.

Azaziel has claimed the soul of a young woman named Ashleigh and wants to use Lorelei’s body as a host for Ashleigh so he can show her a night of love in exchange for him being able to save her soul. After Azaziel puts Ashleigh’s soul in an unsuspecting Lorelei, Lorelei flees and tries to find someone to exorcise Ashleigh from her body. If things aren’t already complicated enough, the city of Los Angeles is swarming with harpies, demons and angels all trying to get Ashleigh’s soul and punish Azaziel and Lorelei.

As Above, So Below is a complex novel that could be called paranormal romance but it also works as horror and erotica even though the sex scenes aren’t over the top like some erotica books I’ve read. The best part of the book was the characters. Since Lorelei is a succubus that has works for Hell, you expect her to be an evil character. In reality she is a sympathetic character that I liked quite a bit. I felt that she was much more compassionate than Azaziel. I would have thought that Azaziel would be the ultimate good but you quickly find that he is more of a shade of grey. None of these characters acts like you think they would act and the lines between good and evil are blurred.

Another thing I liked about the book was the amount of research that had to go into it. This book gets deep into theology and as I read, I found myself thinking this is probably how angels and demons would really act. The idea of a human possessing a succubus was an original concept and I enjoyed how there were different situations where each one had to take over the body.

It may sound strange but As Above, So Below reminded me a little of Romeo And Juliet because it’s a forbidden romance and they represent two groups of people who are at war. There were some memorable scenes in this book, in particular at the end where a battle between good and evil takes place in Los Angeles which also seemed like a character in the book. One of my favorite lines in the book was when Lorelei’s demonic master Asmodeus states that “Demons deal in truth, life is painful.” I found myself liking the demons more than the angels in this book. If you enjoy theology and the idea of angels and demons at war among us, you need to check this book out. You won’t be disappointed.

An anthology of essays about what cemeteries mean to people, with mediocre black and white pictures. I'm mostly reading this to see if I want to keep it and so far it's not looking good.

I quite liked this. While it was oddly formatted (really, it did not have to look like a 'zine) it was still perfectly well readable. And I enjoyed the stories for being slices of odd things that happened to people who are in their way perfectly normal, mostly, or normal things that happen to perfectly odd people.

Some of the stories were touching, a few of them were gross, and a couple of them left me with a feeling of "Uhh, what?" I confess that I mostly skipped the medical section due to being profoundly medical-procedure phobic, but other than that, more enjoyable than not. I wish the 'zine was still being published. I'd read it every issue.

This was terribly disappointing. The annoyances were numerous including, but not limited to:

- The format of the book - It's printed in newspaper type with two columns per page as if it were still a zine. It makes reading it difficult.

- The introduction - This is printed as in a regular book and starts out okay, but quickly devolves into self-congratulatory drivel. Yes, yes, you are the coolest, gothest ever. We all bow to your amazingness.

- The writing - Almost universally mediocre. These were the 40 best items?

- The illustrations - If you had a goth friend in high school who doodled cartoons in their notebook, you'll recognize these.

Out of 298 pages and 40 or so essays only one of them was worth reading - Souvenir of Hell by Brian Thomas - about visiting Auschwitz and Birkenau. Thank you, Mr. Thomas, for writing about this experience in an intelligent and honest way.

This book got two stars because of Mr. Thomas' essay - a long-winded way of saying you might as well skip this.